Clean Run - July 2013 - 31

The Thermal Imaging Procedure

imaging to be a valid and effective diagnostic tool in not only identifying injuries
before they get to a crisis stage, but also
injuries not obvious to the examiner (due
to masking by another injury). Both the
human medical and wildlife worlds have
been successfully finding uses for the
technology as well.
Today’s thermal imaging cameras, with
their variety of lenses, can scan the entire
dog down to a single toe. Dealing with
the whole dog not only can make sure
that you are really getting to the injury
efficiently, but it can also ensure that any
compensations that could affect performance later are addressed before they
have a chance to cause problems. In the
hands of someone who really understands movement mechanics and structure relationships, using thermal imaging to monitor recovery after an injury
can also help tailor rehab and training
regimes to make sure that tissues aren’t
being stressed too early. Monitoring tissue’s temperature responses to work can
make sure that conditioning is moving
at a pace that is appropriate for that particular animal’s recovery.

An example of a wide angle scan that
encompasses the complete torso of
a competition Doberman.

An example of a close-up scan of the bottom
(plantar surface) of an avalanche dog’s hind
feet showing the pads. The right leg is to the
right; the left leg is to the left and shows
a cooler temperature (blue) of the outer pad.

In the hands of a veterinarian or a properlytrained thermographic technician, thermal
imaging is simple to perform, full of information and noninvasive. Currently Vetel Diagnostics in San Luis Obispo (www.
veteldiagnostics.com) is the only veterinary
training recognized by the American Association of Thermology and the only provider offering canine training. The majority of
dogs have no problems with the procedure,
although a few don’t like the reflection of
the lens (or simply just don’t like having a
veterinarian behind them—go figure). The
entire dog, including feet, legs, groin, head
and back, can usually be scanned in less
than 20 minutes. If a scan is performed by a
thermographic technician, the images can
only be interpreted by a licensed veterinarian. If there are concerns about movement
stresses versus postural or standing stresses,
the dog can be put on a treadmill and videoed with the thermal camera. This allows
evaluation of soft tissue over a set period
of controlled movement. It is important to
note that thermal imaging is not meant to
be a replacement for a good physical exam
and it is at its best usefulness integrated into

Anna Eifert

& Agility Gallery

Anna & Nevian: Silver medalist
FCI World Championship 2006 (Basel, Schweiz),
Crufts Winner 2010 (British Open and
International Class)
Agility seminars and private lessons
with photo service
USA & Canada: 2013 March-April-May
and October-November-December
Contact us:
Seminars: eifert.anna@chello.hu
Photo service at trials: info@agility-gallery.com
www.eifertanna.com
www.agility-gallery.com
Anna Eifert – Francesca El Temperamento „Dú” - V’Nevian Macleod S’Tip –– Thomas Krizsán

July 13

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Clean Run - July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - July 2013